Promises to Keep
by Zenyetta
Summary: Uther has abdicated the throne due to a bad stroke that has left him incapacitated.  Arthur is crowned king and announces he plans to marry Gwenhwyfar.  Uther is not happy about this.  He made a promise and he intends to see it's kept.


**Promises to Keep**

The coronation ceremony, held in the Great Hall of Camelot, had all the splendor, pomp and circumstance everyone expected. The one unexpected aspect was it taking place when it did. Everyone, including Arthur, expected his father to be dead when he ascended the throne of Camelot. But he wasn't.

Uther Pendragon, former king of Albion, sat in an open sedan chair watching his son and heir being crowned in his place. Uther had suffered a massive stroke that robbed him of much of his speech, paralyzed the right side of his body, and made him incontinent. Gaius had said the king was lucky the stroke didn't kill him outright, but the court physician offered little hope of the king's recovery.

So, Uther abdicated the throne of Camelot in favor of Arthur. Arthur protested in the strongest possible terms, saying he would not take the throne while his father still lived in any capacity. Arthur agreed to be Regent or Lord Protector or Steward or any other title the council cared to bestow on him, but not king. It was Uther's tearful, heartfelt pleading with his son that convinced Arthur to accept the crown.

So Arthur Pendragon became the High and Mighty, King Arthur of Albion. And now the new monarch stood at his throne and addresses the court.

"My lords and ladies of Camelot. We thank you for your love, your trust and your fealty. We will endeavor to be worthy of it to the end of our reign. And now, with great joy, we are pleased to announce on this momentous occasion that we are of a mind to marry."

There was enthusiastic applause and smiles throughout the court at this news. "She has been in our affections for quite some time," Arthur continued. "She is kind and thoughtful of others, brave in the face of danger, and wise and true in her advise. This woman is well worthy to hold the title and honor of Queen of Albion"

With that, Arthur descended the dais and walked to place where Morgana stood. He took her hand and kissed it. There were "aahhs" from the crowd. Morgana caressed his cheek and hugged him. Then she stepped aside. Behind her stood Gwenhwyfar, her maid. Arthur held a hand out to her, which she took, and he led her to the dais. Then, for all to see, he went down on one knee, still holding her hand.

"Gwenhwyfar, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied with a smile, and Arthur slipped a silver ring with a large black pearl on her left hand ring finger.

Many were shocked among the polite applause of the court, but not Uther Pendragon. He was angry. He sat there jerkily shaking his head, mouthing, "No. No." A commoner, one of the servants, would be receiving the second highest title in the kingdom.

Arthur stood, kissed his betrothed, then addressed the court. "There is another here who also holds our affections, and has done so for most of our life. She has become like a dear sister to us. And so, by our decree, we raise the Lady Morgana to be a Princess of Camelot, with all the honor and titles due the sister of the king."

Arthur led Gwen down the aisle and out of the hall, followed by Morgana. The court bowed or curtsied as they passed. So far, so good, but now Arthur had to face his father, and no matter what condition Uther was in, he would not be happy.

Arthur, Gwen and Morgana waited for Uther in a smaller audience chamber. The former king was brought in, sitting in his chair, carried by two strong men. His left hand was nervously tapping the arm of the chair in agitation.

"N…no…Arth..ur…can…not…do…this," he said haltingly. "Pr…pr…promised…

swore…ma…made…promise. Marry….Mor…Mor….Mor…gan…a, Arth..ur."

It pained them to see the once great and powerful Uther Pendragon so diminished, but they had to stand their ground.

"Father, I know you promised this to your friend, Gorlois, but it cannot be. I don't love Morgana that way."

"No….Arth..ur, not…Gwen…Gwen…hwy..far," said Uther. "Nobody….servant. N…need…n…noble…wife."

"Father, Gwen is noble enough for me. I love her and I will marry her," Arthur said.

"Uther, I don't love Arthur and I don't want to marry him," Morgana said. "I don't believe I ever did. My destiny lies elsewhere, my lord, not as Queen of Camelot."

"N…no…I…promised," he insisted.

"But I made no such promise and neither did Arthur," she retorted. "Look at me, Uther. I'm not upset. I'm happy that he's marrying Gwen. They are better suited to each other than he and I are."

"She…she…your….maid," Uther pointed out.

"She's also my friend, and I'm happy for her."

"No…no…pro..mise…up..hold….must…uphold," Uther insisted.

Arthur went to Uther and crouched down to be on eye level with him. "Father, please understand. I do not love Morgana, except as a sister. Morgana does not love me, except as a brother. I do love Gwenhwyfar and she loves me, and we will be married. There's nothing more to say on the matter."

"Take him to his rooms," Arthur commanded and the former king was taken away, still protesting the marriage.

"That was not pretty," Morgana observed. "Hopefully, he'll come around."

"I don't know," said Gwen. "He's not the kind of man to give in easily."

Several days later, Uther hear noise coming from the short hall which connected the King's apartment to the Queen's apartment. The Queen's apartment had been sealed since his wife, Igraine's death. And now there a commotion in there. Uther called over a servant to help him stand and, with the aid of a cane in his left hand and the servant on his right, Uther went to check on the adjoining rooms.

Uther hesitated a moment as he reached for the knob on the door. He had not opened this door or been in these rooms since Igraine's funeral. The knob was slightly stuck and it took some effort, but it finally turned and the door opened.

There were several servants going about the place opening windows and removing dusty sheets covering the furniture. His son's manservant was supervising.

"W…what?" he shouted. "What?" "Out. Out." How dare they violate this place.

Merlin approached the former king. "I'm sorry, sire," he said, "But we have orders from the king to restore the Queen's apartment for the new queen."

"No! N…no!" Uther insisted. "Out!" and he swing his cane at Merlin, barely missing him.

"My lord!" Merlin cried as he jumped back. "We have our orders and we must carry them out," he told him and went back to his duties.

"Come, my lord, I'll take you back to your room," his servant said.

_"This was horrible,"_ Uther thought angrily. _"Those are Igraine's rooms. The only other woman I will allow in there is Morgana as the rightful queen of my son. That woman, something has got to be done about _that woman."

Two weeks later, Gwen was in her room in the castle embroidering her initial into a fine cotton handkerchief Morgana had given her. Now that she was the king's betrothed, she was given quarters of her own. There was a polite knock on her door and a servant was admitted.

"My lady, the old king would like to speak with you," he said. Gwen nodded, put away her embroidery and follow the servant to the King's apartment. Arthur was not in the King's quarters. He decided not to occupy them until the Queen's apartment was ready.

The servant knocked then opened the door. Uther was in his chair, looking at her with a lopsided smile, his right side facial muscles paralyzed by the stroke. The servant stood at his side. Uther beckoned her closer.

"Sire, you wanted see me?" she said as she curtsied.

"The king thinks that maybe you and he could come to some sort of understanding," the servant said. "He feels that there is no reason for any enmity between you."

"It pleases me to hear this, sire," Gwen said. "Know that I have only he greatest respect for you." _Even though you killed my father and wanted to kill me,_ she thought to herself.

"The king feels you and he can come to an amicable settlement," the servant said.

"Amicable settlement?" Gwen repeated. "What are you talking about?"

Uther gestured and the servant got a case from a table and brought it to Gwen. When she opened it, her mouth fell open as she saw it was filled with gold coins.

"There are five hundred gold coins in the case" the servant told her. "The king swears upon his honor as a sovereign, that you will be given safe passage to the borders of this realm. There, you will be given a second case of the same amount. With one thousand gold coins you will be able to live comfortably anywhere in another kingdom of your choosing."

Gwen just stared at Uther, who was still lopsidedly smiling at her. She could not believe that she was being bought off, like some cheap doxy. The very idea that Uther thought so little of her hurt her pride and incensed her.

Gwen threw the case on the floor, gold coins escaping and rolling away. The lopsided smile had disappeared from the old king's face. "How dare you!" she said angrily. "How dare you think me so cheap, so low, so…so….so without honor, as to think I could be bribed not to marry your son." Gwen paused for breath only a moment. She was on a roll.

"Hear me, Uther Pendragon, and hear me good," she said. "I love your son. I have loved him for quite some time. Do you really think I'm marrying him for money or the title of queen? That notion is unworthy of you, my lord. I would marry him if he were a farmer or a servant, or even a blacksmith.

"And do you know why? Because he is a good man. He is courageous and honorable, respectful of others whatever their station, and he loves me. Do you understand that? He loves me and I love him. And that is worth more than crowns or coins." With that Gwen turned and stormed out of the room.

Morgana was walking in the halls when she saw Gwen. Now Morgana knew what it meant when someone was said to have a face like thunder.

"Gwen, what's wrong," Morgana asked as she stopped her.

"Let's go back to my room," Gwen said. In the room, Gwen told Morgana about Uther's bribe attempt and Morgana was as appalled as Gwen was.

"I can't believe he would stoop to such a thing," Morgana said. "That is reprehensible. We must tell Arthur at once."

"No, Morgana, don't," Gwen said. "The issue is over. I've refused the bribe and Uther can do nothing more. There's no need to bother Arthur with this. Please."

"Very well, Gwen, if that's what you want," Morgana agreed, but she wasn't so sure the matter was over as far as Uther was concerned. Something told Morgana to keep an eye on Gwen.

Over the coming days, Morgana was much in Gwen's company. They went shopping for trousseau items and such, they embroidered together, and read to each other. Unbeknownst to Gwen, Morgana had instructed Gwen's maid (she now had one of her own) to make certain her door was securely bolted each night.

Gwen and Morgana decided to go on a picnic. They weren't going very far; the grove they rode to was just across a stream from the castle, practically still on castle grounds. They found a nice spot and dismounted. They spread a blanket and unpacked the food the kitchen had prepared for them. The two women played cards, ate sandwiches and just enjoyed each other's company and being outside on a lovely day.

After a while, they noticed that one of the horses had gotten loose from its hitch. Morgana, being better with horses than Gwen, went after it. The horse hadn't gone too far. She caught up with it and started to lead it back, when she heard Gwen scream. Morgana was thankful that she had thought to bring a sword along. She pulled it from it's sheath, threw off her cape and ran to her friend's aid.

As Morgana neared the picnic spot she saw Gwen running in her direction with an armed masked man hard on her heels.

"To me, Gwen, to me!" Morgana hollered and they caught up with each other. "Get behind me," she told her friend as she prepared to do battle. Having no son, Gorlois had taught his daughter to handle a sword.

Morgana was able to hold him off for a while, but he was fast and he was good. She didn't know how long she could keep this up. The way he was fighting, it was obvious that this was no robbery attempt. Twice he'd knocked her to the ground but didn't make any move to kill her. Instead he'd gone after Gwen. The third time the assassin knocked Morgana to the ground, she had the wind knocked out of her. She lay there trying to catch her breath and get up to protect her friend. The assassin wasted no time going after Gwen. He'd almost caught her when Arthur appeared from no where. It was Arthur's intention to surprise them and join their picnic. Arthur easily wounded the man. By now, Morgana had regained her strength and ran over to assist Arthur. The man lay on the ground clutching a deep gash in his thigh. Morgana pulled the mask off and Arthur was startled to recognize him as one of the Camelot guards. Arthur made sure Gwen was unharmed, then he held his sword to the man's throat.

"Who sent you?" Arthur demanded. The man said nothing. "I have every right to kill you here and now," Arthur said. "But I won't. I'll give you a choice. You can remain silent and die here and now, and I won't make it quick, or you can tell me who sent you, and I'll let you live. You have my word."

"The old king sent me," the man said. Arthur was taken aback. He could not believe that his father would employ an assassin to murder his betrothed.

"You lie!" Arthur said angrily.

"No, sire. I was sent by Uther Pendragon."

"What was your mission?" Morgana asked. She was not at all surprised.

"I was to dispatch Morgana's maid," the man answered. "You, my lady were not to be harmed."

"Morgana's maid," Arthur repeat. Yes, that sounded like his father. "My father must atone for this."

The would-be assassin's wound was bound and he was tied to one of the horsed. The man was thrown into a dungeon cell and Gaius was sent for to tend the wound. Arthur ordered the man's possessions and quarters searched by his knights.

"Did they find anything?" Gwen asked later.

"Yes. They found a small case….." Arthur began.

"…with five hundred gold coins in it," Gwen finished the statement.

Arthur stared at his future wife in astonishment. "Gwen, what do you know about this?" he asked her. She told him about Uther's bribe.

"Why didn't you tell me before this? Why did you hide it?"

"I didn't want any more hard feelings between you and your father over me," Gwen explained. "After I refused, I thought the matter closed."

"As you can see, Uther hasn't considered it closed," Arthur said. "I'm going to settle this with my father once and for all.

Uther Pendragon was reading in his room when his door was flung open and his son stormed in.

"Father, this is a new low for you," Arthur spat out. It was obvious to Uther that his man had failed in his mission. "Did you really think Gwenhwyfar would accept a bribe? Do you have so little regard for the woman I love? And then to hire an assassin to murder her is beyond belief."

"M…made….pr…promise," Uther said. "K…keep….honor."

"Father, I don't give a damn about any promise you made or your honor," Arthur argued. "You will have to face the consequences for your involvement in attempted murder."

"M…made….pro…mise," Uther insisted. Arthur turned and walked out. He set two knights, people he could trust, to guard Uther's door.

The next day, Arthur called together his council. He told them he suspected the former king of treason and to investigate the matter. The council questioned Morgana, Gwen and the assassin, and they were shown the case of gold coins. They attempted to question Uther, but all he would say was that he had made a promise. In the end, the council had all the evidence they needed.

A trial was called days later. In the Great Hall, Arthur sat on his throne with the council standing behind him. Gwen and Morgana sat in chairs nearby. Guards escorted a limping assassin into the hall, while knights conducted Uther in his chair.

"Galen, former soldier of Camelot," the chief councilor Balthazar began. "You are guilty of treason in the attempted assassination of the Lady Gwenhwyfar, our future queen. The council sentences you to death."

Then the king spoke, "I, Arthur, King of Albion, do hereby commute your sentence, Galen, to banishment from this realm. In three days, you will be branded with 'traitor' on the arm, then taken to the border and cast off our lands. And if you should return to Albion and are discovered, you will be executed on the spot. Take him away."

"Uther Pendragon, former King of Albion," Balthazar said. "You are guilty of treason in the attempted bribing of the Lady Gwenhwyfar with five hundred gold coins for her departure from this realm. You are also guilty of treason in the hiring of an assassin to murder the said lady. The council sentences you to the Monastery of Saint Swithin on the isle of Loou, where you will live in contemplative solitude with the monks of that order for the remainder of your life."

Uther looked at his son, waiting for him to commute his sentence to something more reasonable and amicable such as banishment to one of his manor estates or large country houses. But his son was resolute in his judgment.

"I, Arthur, King of Albion, do concur with the sentence given. Escort the former king back to his rooms," Arthur said. "Oh, by the way, father, I've donated the five hundred gold coins to the lower town. A new well is to be put in."

Arthur did not see his father again until the old king was escorted to his coach which would take to his new home.

"Goodbye, father," Arthur said. "I'm sorry you were so stubborn. I hoped you would try to get to know Gwenhwyfar. If you did, I know you would have given her your best regard as I do."

Uther made no reply. The coach jerked forward as it started it's journey to the eastern coast with an escort of Camelot knights. In polite company, it would not be said that Uther had been confined or imprisoned, but he'd simply retired from public life to live in the monastery.

When Uther did return to Camelot six years later, it was in his funeral cortège to be buried in the royal crypt with the other kings and queens of Albion. His departure from this life was held with all due solemnity and ritual in the New Religion. Arthur cried because Uther was his father and despite everything, he did love him. Morgana cried because he was the father she missed and he had loved her like a daughter. And Gwen cried because she pitied and felt sorry for him in his later years.

In the end, Camelot and the kingdom of Albion flourished under the rule of King Arthur and Queen Gwenhwyfar.

**THE END**


End file.
